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I Press!. Church of Christ at Medina May 13 th , 2012. Forgetting what lies behind…. Forgetting does not mean to “never remember”. It means to not dwell on past events to the point of hindering a person. What must we forget? Physical mistakes, failures, or even missed opportunities.
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I Press! Church of Christ at Medina May 13th, 2012
Forgetting what lies behind… • Forgetting does not mean to “never remember”. It means to not dwell on past events to the point of hindering a person. • What must we forget? • Physical mistakes, failures, or even missed opportunities. • Physical set-backs. • Physical pleasures that entice us. • Physical accomplishments.
Forgetting what lies behind… • What must we forget? • Spiritual Sins and Failures • Spiritual Accomplishments • As Christians, we must… • …understand that we cannot change the past! • …not live in past sins that God has forgiven! • …not live in the past, because the best is yet to come!
Forgetting what lies behind… • The past can lead to “bitterness” or “betterness.” • 1 Corinthians 15:9-11 • Gratitude is one of the most powerful motivators. (Luke 7:36-50)
Straining forward to what lies ahead… • Pressing involves effort – strenuous effort. • A strong desire will cause us to be motivated for extreme effort. • Other translations: “…straining every nerve”. • Being a child of God will require effort and work. • Philippians 1:27 • Colossians 1:29
Straining forward to what lies ahead… • Pressing implies purpose or aim. • 2 Timothy 4:6-8 • Ecclesiastes 12:13 • We must put forth the effort because there is a an ultimate goal. • 1 Peter 1:9 • 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 • In walking with purpose, the next step is the most critical.
Straining forward to what lies ahead… • Pressing involves perseverance. • To strain forward, we must have determination and commitment. • Galatians 6:9 • God never promised an easy road (Matthew 7:13-14). However, we need to be determined to stay the course. • If we believe in our purpose, then we would have the determination to serve in difficult times. • Some people don’t have the character to endure. (Matthew 13:18-21)
I PRESS… • …because I am focused in the direction of heaven! • …because I cannot be stuck in the past, because it prevents me from being able to move forward to serve God and be of some benefit to my fellow brethren! • …because I know that I must give every effort! • …because I am aware that hard work will be required of me, but it will be well worth it!
I PRESS… • …because every challenge that I encounter while serving Christ will provide greater opportunity to serve Him! • …because hardships will come to me, like they have to others! • …because I know that straining forward will help me to attain that eternal weight of glory that God, and only God, can provide!